Sexual assaults in Australia on the rise during spring, summer

Melbourne, Apr 1 (ANI): Sexual assaults in Australia have reportedly risen by more than 50 per cent since the mid-1990s, with more attacks taking place during the warmer months.

A study carried out by the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that the incidents of sexual assault increased by five per cent a year, on average, between 1995 and 2007.

That rise was four times the annual growth in the Australian population during the same period, and in that time, sexual assaults rose by 51 per cent, and were common during the warmer months of the year.

"Assault is seasonal. The number of assaults peaks in the spring and summer months of October to February and is lowest from April to July," News.com.au quoted the institute as stating.

The number of recorded sexual assaults in Australia stood at 19,781 in 2007, with 94 victims for every 100,000 people.

Two-thirds of reported sexual assaults occurred in a dwelling with only seven per cent taking place on the street, the figures based on data from mainland Australian states showed. (ANI)